Ingram Frizer

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Ingram Frizer (d. 1627) was an English figure of the late 16th Century and early 17th Century. He is perhaps best known for killing playwright Christopher Marlowe in the home of Eleanor Bull on 30 May 1593.

Little is known of his early life, but he is known to have been a client of Thomas Walsingham, a young cousin of Queen Elizabeth I's Secretary of State, Sir Francis Walsingham. Both Walsinghams were heavily involved with period espionage and it is likely that as a servant of Thomas Walsingham, Frizer was also an intelligence agent. He was also known as a petty con man, involved (with Thomas Walsingham and Nicholas Skeres) with bilking one Drew Woodleff of his inheritance.

For several years previous to his murder, Marlowe had been loosely attached to the Walsinghams' group and was likely to have done some espionage work for them, but by the Spring of 1593, Marlowe was becoming increasingly notorious as a (reputed) atheist, homosexual and/or Catholic and a liability to his more conservative associates. Elizabeth herself is reputed to have ordered Marlowe "prosecuted to the fullest" for his putative crimes.

Frizer is known to have invited Marlowe to a feast at the house of Eleanor Bull, a widow running what may have been a tavern in Deptford. Also in attendance were known Walsingham intelligence workers, Nicholas Skeres and Robert Poley. According to tradition, Frizer and Marlowe got into an argument over "the reckyninge" or the bill. The argument escalated into a brawl, at the end of which, Marlowe was dead, stabbed just above the right eye.

William Danby, Coroner of the Queen's Household (the jurisdiction where the death took place), wrote a report [1] as follows:

KENT/INQUISITION indented taken at Deptford Strand in the aforesaid County of Kent within the verge on the first day of June in the thirty-fifth year of the reign of Elizabeth, by the grace of God of England France & Ireland Queen defender of the faith, etc thirty-fifth, in the presence of William Danby, Gentleman, Coroner of the household of the Queen, upon view of the body of Christopher Morley, there lying dead and slain, upon oath of sixteen jurors who say upon their oath that when a certain Ingram Frizer, late of London, Gentleman, and the aforesaid Christopher Morley and one Nicholas Skeres, late of London, Gentleman, and Robert Poley of London, Gentleman, on the thirtieth day of May in the thirty-fifth year above named, at Deptford Strand about the tenth hour before noon of the same day, the four men met together in a room in the house of a certain Eleanor Bull, widow; & there passed the time together & dined & after dinner were in quiet sort together there & walked in the garden belonging to the said house until the sixth hour after noon of the same day & then returned from the said garden to the room & there together and in company supped; & after supper the said Ingram & Christoper Morley were in speech & uttered one to the other divers malicious words for the reason that they could not be at one nor agree about the payment of the sum of pence, that is, le recknynge, there; & the said Christoper Morley was then lying upon a bed in the room where they supped, & moved with anger against the said Ingram Frizer upon the words as spoken between them, And the said Ingram then & there sitting in the room aforesaid with his back towards the bed where the said Christopher Morley was then lying, sitting near the bed, that is, nere the bed & with the front part of his body towards the table & the aforesaid Nicholas Skeres & Robert Poley sitting on either side of the said Ingram in such a manner that the same Ingram Frizer in no wise could take flight: it so befell that the said Christopher Morley then & there maliciously drew the dagger of the said Ingram which was at his back, and with the same dagger the said Christopher Morley then & there gave the aforesaid Ingram two wounds on his head of the length of two inches & of the depth of a quarter of an inch; whereupon the said Ingram, in fear of being slain, & sitting in the manner aforesaid between said Nicholas Skeres and Robert Poley so that he could not in any wise get away, in his own defence & for the saving of his life, then & there struggled with the said Christopher Morley to get back from him his dagger aforesaid; in which affray the same Ingram could not get away from the said Christopher Morley; and so it befell in the affray that the said Ingram, in defence of his life, with the dagger aforesaid of the value of 12d. gave the said Christopher then & there a mortal wound over his right eye of the depth of two inches & the width of one inch; of which mortal wound the aforesaid Christopher Morley then & there instantly died.

And so the Jurors aforesaid say upon their oath that the said Ingram killed & slew Christopher Morley aforesaid on the thirtieth day of May in the thirty fifth year named above at Deptford Strand aforesaid within the verge in the room aforesaid within the verge in the manner and form aforesaid in the defence and saving of his own life, against the peace of our said lady the Queen, her now crown & dignity.

And further the said Jurors say upon their oath that the said Ingram after the slaying aforesaid perpetrated & done by him in the manner & form aforesaid neither fled nor withdrew himself; But what goods or chattels, lands or tenements the said Ingram had at time of the slaying aforesaid, done & perpetrated by him in the manner & form aforesaid, the said Jurors are totally ignorant. In witness of which thing the said Coroner as well as the Jurors aforesaid to this Inquisition have interchangeably set their seals. Given the day & year above named by William Danby, Coroner.

Although some authorities doubt events unfolded as reported here, Frizer was found on 1 June to be not guilty of murder for reasons of self defence. On the 28 June, the Queen granted Frizer a formal pardon. [2]

From the Queen to all her officers and loyal subjects etc., greetings. By means of a certain Inquisition indented taken at Detford Strand in our County of Kent within the verge on the first day of last June aforesaid in the presence of William Danby, Gentleman, Coroner of the household of our household, upon view of the body of Christopher Morley, there lying dead & slain, upon oath of Nicholas Draper, Gentleman, Wolstan Randall, gentleman, William Curry, Adrian Walker, John Barber, Robert Baldwin, Giles ffeld, George Halfepenny, Henry Awger, James Batt, Henry Bendin, Thomas Batt senior, John Baldwyn, Alexander Burrage, Edmund Goodcheepe, & Henry Dabyns who said upon oath that Ingram ffrysar, late of London, Gentleman, and the aforesaid Christopher Morley, and Nicholas Skeres, late of London, Gentleman, and Robert Poley of London aforesaid, Gentleman, on the thirtieth of May last aforesaid, at the aforesaid Detford Strand in our aforesaid County of Kent within the verge about the tenth hour before noon of the same day met together in a room in the house of a certain Eleanor Bull, widow; & there passed the time together & dined & after dinner were in quiet sort together & walked in the garden belonging to the said house until the sixth hour after noon of the same day & then returned from the said garden to the room aforesaid & there together and in company supped; & after supper the said Ingram & Christopher Morley were in speech & uttered one to the other divers malicious words for the reason that they could not be at one nor agree about the payment of the sum of pence, that is, le Reckoninge, there; & the said Christopher Morley then lying upon a bed in the room where they supped, & moved with anger against the said Ingram ffrysar upon the words aforesaid spoken between them, and the said Ingram then & there sitting in the room aforesaid with his back towards the bed where the said Christopher Morley was then lying, sitting near the bed, that is, nere the Bedd, & with the front part of his body towards the table & the aforesaid Nicholas Skeres & Robert Poley sitting on either side of the said Ingram in such a manner that the same Ingram ffrysar in no wise could take flight; it so befell that the said Christopher Morley on a sudden & of his malice towards the said Ingram aforethought, then & there maliciously drew the dagger of the said Ingram which was at his back, and with the same dagger the said Christopher Morley then & there maliciously gave the aforesaid Ingram two wounds on his head of the length of two inches & of the depth of a quarter of an inch; whereupon the said Ingram, in fear of being slain, & sitting in the manner aforesaid between the said Nicholas Skeres & Robert Poley so that he could not in any wise get away, in his own defence & for the saving of his life, then & there struggled with the said Christopher Morley to get back from him his dagger aforesaid; in which affray the same Ingram could not get away from the said Christopher Morley; and so it befell in that affray that the said Ingram, in defence of his life, with the dagger aforesaid to the value of twelve pence, gave the said Christopher then & there a mortal wound over his right eye of the depth of two inches & of the width of one inch; of which mortal wound the aforesaid Christopher Morley then & there instantly died. And so that the said Ingram killed & slew Christopher Morley aforesaid on the thirtieth day of last May aforesaid at Detford Strande aforesaid in our said County of Kent within the verge in the room aforesaid within the verge in the manner & form aforesaid in the defence and saving of his own life against our peace our crown & dignity. As more fully appears by the tenor of the Record of the Inquisition aforesaid which we caused to come before us in our Chancery by virtue of our writ. We therefore moved by piety have pardoned the same Ingram ffrisar the breach of our peace which pertains to us against the said Ingram for the death above mentioned & grant to him our firm peace. Provided nevertheless that the right remain in our Court if anyone should wish to complain of him concerning the death above mentioned In testimony &c Witness the Queen at Kewe on the 28th day of June.

A few years later when James I of England ascended the throne, Frizer received numerous benefices from the crown, through the action of Audrey Walsingham (Thomas' wife and a friend of James' Queen, Anne of Denmark). He moved to an estate in Eltham, Kent, where he lived until he died.

[edit] See also

• The School of Night